Department for Transport

Parking: Databases

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to place the National ParkingPlatform on a three year funding cycle.

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to undertake a communications campaign to inform local government audiences about the government-backed National Parking Platform; and what assessment they have made of the benefits to local authorities of adopting the National Parking Platform.

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government whether thesecond assessment of the Department for Transport's National Parking Platform was undertaken as required in October 2021; and if so, when the report will be published.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department for Transport has already invested £1.2m in the development of a National Parking Platform (NPP). The platform will digitise parking services and allow road users to choose one app of their choice wherever there is pay-by-phone parking. The funding has delivered user research and a prototype platform as part of a pilot led by Manchester City Council. Building on this research, the Department is working with the parking sector to establish governance and funding options for delivering the full production platform. The user-research demonstrated the benefits that a publicly-owned platform capable of managing standardised data exchange across local authority parking operations would provide. The platform would enable any local authority to contract directly with all service providers via the NPP and thus remove the need for several hundred local authority parking contracts and the burden of local procurement. The platform would enable collection of digital payments facilitating both digitised methods of operation, including automated payments, and improved data on the parking market. The Department and the British Parking Association (BPA), the parking trade body, have already undertaken significant engagement both with local authorities and service providers. Further engagement plans are being developed and will include the Department communicating the benefits of the parking platform to every local authority. The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) reassessment of the platform’s alpha stage was held on the 10 March 2022 and the requirement was met. The report was published on the CDDO website on 23 March 2022.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Growing Places Fund

Lord Kamall: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Parkinson of Whitley Bay on 8 December 2022 (HL4451), what steps they are taking to encourage place-based giving schemes following the end of the Growing Place-based Giving Programme.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Charitable giving has a proud tradition in the UK, and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is keen to highlight the importance and impact of such giving.Last year the Department encouraged charitable giving by supporting the Small Charity Week campaign (20–24 June 2022), aimed at promoting the work of small charities. As part of that work, the Department encouraged people to think about a local cause or small charity about which they care and, if they were able to do so, to consider supporting it by donating money, goods, or time.The Department continues to endorse Payroll Giving, which allows tax-free donations to be made to charity directly from an individual’s pay or pension. In 2021 this scheme raised £137 million for charities.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Expenditure

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total spend in England on prison services in 2020 (1) in cash terms, and (2) as a percentage of total government expenditure.

Lord Bellamy: In answer to part 1, for the 2020-21 financial year, the direct cost of prison services was £2.6bn. This is based on our published Prison Unit Costs.For part 2, we have used the 2019-20 financial year direct costs of £2.4bn which amounts to approximately 0.26% of the total government spend. The reason for using the earlier year to calculate the percentage of total government expenditure is that the latest published Whole of Government Accounts is for 2019-20.

Department of Health and Social Care

Hospitals: Food

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the correct nutritional information is provided for hospital meals so that type 1 diabetics are able to calculate their correct dose of insulin.

Lord Markham: Menus within the National Health Service (NHS) are written and dietary coded, using the British Dietetic Association Nutrition and Hydration Digest, to provide appropriate nutritional information so patients can access the food and drink they want which also meets their health needs. The National Food and Drink Standards for NHS hospitals, published November 2022, requires every trust to have access to appropriate catering dietetic advice and support.Additionally, all NHS hospital meals are nutritionally analysed to ensure the correct combination of nutrients is achieved and no patient menu is passed until this has happened. This will be done by either a trust using in house dietetic support or by the meal provider if using external delivered meal services.

Medicine: Education

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: To ask His Majesty's Government how many medical school places were available in England in each of the last 10 years; and how many applications were made on average per place.

Lord Markham: The following table shows the number of entrants to undergraduate medicine courses in England from 2012 to 2022. Academic yearEntrants20126,19020135,98020146,00020155,88020165,93020176,09520186,80020197,56520208,40520218,48520227,630 Source: Office for Students Medical and Dental Students Survey (2012-2022) Note: 2022 entrants are based on initial figures and are likely to change. The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service records the number of unique applicants and acceptances to undergraduate medical courses. Based upon this data, there has been an average of 3.2 applicants for each accepted place from 2011 to 2021.

Dental Services: Contracts

Baroness Redfern: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to consult on a new NHS dental contractto provide access to general dentistry; and what steps they will take to ensure that local commissioners work with providers to make existing contracts sustainable.

Lord Markham: NHS England is holding discussions and consulting with the British Dental Association (BDA) and the wider dental sector for additional reforms of the National Health Service (NHS) Dental System, planned for 2023. NHS England is responsible for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population, with many of these functions transferring to integrated care boards (ICBs) from April 2023. They will work with commissioners and providers, supported by NHS England’s Assurance Framework. ‘Our plan for patients’, announced in September 2022 and available in an online-only format, outlines how we will meet oral health needs and increase access to NHS dental care. This includes improving the 2006 contract to ensure fairer remuneration for practices providing complex treatment as well as enabling dentists to make better use of dental teams to deliver NHS treatment. These changes were discussed with stakeholders and implemented through regulations that came into effect on 25 November 2022, improving access to general dentistry and making the NHS contract more attractive and sustainable to dentists and their teams. The Department also worked with NHS England and the BDA to introduce a minimum Unit of Dental Activity value in October 2022, the implementation of which will support commissioners to work closely with providers in ensuring NHS dental contracts are sustainable.

Dental Services: Labour Turnover and Recruitment

Baroness Redfern: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to collect data regarding a dental workforce to improve the (1) recruitment, and (2) retention, of dentists.

Lord Markham: The Government has committed to publishing a workforce plan next year, which will include independently verified forecasts for the number of healthcare professionals, including dental professionals, required in future years. This will take into account improvements in retention and productivity and will make use of available data sources.

Treasury

Gift Aid: Automation and Modernisation

Lord Kamall: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to modernise, and (2) to automate, the gift aid system.

Baroness Penn: The Government recognises the important work the charity sector does in the UK, which is why we currently provide tax reliefs to charities and their donors worth over £5 billion per year, including over £1.3 billion in Gift Aid. The Government has received ideas from the sector on developing Gift Aid for the digital age and continues to keep all aspects of this important tax relief under review. Last year 99% of Gift Aid claims were already made online by charities with only 1% submitted by paper, but HM Revenue and Customs has been engaging further with the charity sector to understand the remaining challenges. This work remains ongoing and is considering all aspects of the service including whether it meets the needs of its users, as well as the registration and claims process. One way this has taken place is through inviting charities to complete a short survey about the process.[1] [1] https://zwgy80l7.optimalworkshop.com/questions/z6n2hh7v

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatplans they have, if any, to support households with mortgages from the increased cost of living due to interest rate rises.

Baroness Penn: In December, the Chancellor held a roundtable with the major mortgage lenders, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Martin Lewis to discuss support for vulnerable mortgage borrowers. In this meeting, attendees confirmed the support lenders will provide and the steps borrowers should take to help those who are struggling return to a position where their mortgage is affordable and sustainable over the long term. The Chancellor also made clear his expectation that every lender live up to their responsibilities and support any mortgage borrowers who are finding it tough right now. If mortgage borrowers fall into financial difficulty, or think they may struggle to keep up with payments in the future, it is vital they make contact with their lender early. FCA guidance requires firms to provide support through tailored forbearance options. This could include a range of options depending on individual circumstances.The Government has also taken a number of measures aimed at helping people to avoid repossession, including offering Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans for those in receipt of an income-related benefit. Those eligible are entitled to help paying the interest on up to £200,000 of their loan. From spring, the Government will allow those on Universal Credit to apply for an SMI loan to help with interest repayments after three months, instead of nine. We will also abolish the zero earnings rule to allow claimants to continue receiving support while in work and on Universal Credit. In addition, the Government offers mortgage borrowers protection in the courts through the Pre-Action Protocol, which makes clear that repossession must always be the last resort for lenders.More broadly, the Government has taken decisive action to support households across the UK through the cost-of-living challenges ahead, whilst remaining fiscally responsible. In addition to the £37 billion of support for the cost of living already announced for 2022-23, the Government has announced further support for next financial year designed to target the most vulnerable households. This cost-of-living support is worth £26 billion in 2023-24, in addition to benefits uprating, which is worth £11 billion to working age households and people with disabilities. The Government is also continuing to provide support to all households through the Energy Price Guarantee, which will save the average UK household £500 in 2023-24.